A Letter to Mankind

Dear human,

Ages have gone by since we had a good chat together, have they not? Ah, six million years to be precise, because now, you demand accuracy. I remember the times when you stared at my valleys and mountains with wonder. You would look up to me for survival and comfort, fiddle with my rocks and at times, burn my forests. But when you burnt forests for the first time, you were horrified and shocked. You wept hard, thinking you had let me down. After a rough day’s work, you would find solace in resting your back against me, looking up to the heavens and counting stars as though they were your blessings. You know what, I was secretly proud of you. I had a feeling that you would rise to be the most powerful and virtuous among all other species. And then, everything changed. You evolved and developed this world of your own. You emerged a shining gemstone from the dirt and I gloated with pride, for you were my child.

You made new inventions out of little things. Farms and houses came into being as a result of your ambition. There was always one thing about you, you had an undying thirst for reaching higher horizons, the catch being that you had no clue how high and you still do not. Technology came into being as you gradually civilized. I admired your thoughtfulness and your determination, but a shadow of grief passed over me when you turned your back to me, and this time, not for lying down, but for signifying a goodbye. You used to worship me, and all of a sudden, all you needed me was for your developmental purposes. You demolished the forests which sang ballads of the memories we made together whispering to the wind, in a language which we both understood better than any other. You almost forgot me, and being forgotten is one of the worst feelings one can have.

I do not have regrets, you see, for there was nothing I could have done but watch you learn and smirk at me with the triumph of your knowledge. I envy technology today, though I know that I am its backbone, the satisfied smile you put on, working on it is what I notice. I envy desire, because you seem to always have it in a corner of your heart. I envy everything that has replaced my importance in your mind, and you know what happens when envy builds up? It leads to catastrophe. So the next time a massive earthquake makes your dear depart, a roaring volcano engulfs your remnant of a forest along with your pride, enraged waters shatter your hard-earned property, violent skies threaten your existence, floods take away precious artefacts, or mountains collapse on your shell of a city, give it a thought… why.

Yours,

Planet Earth